“Sir,” Elias said, his voice steady but fast. “The main power line at the perimeter was cut.”

“And the backup generator?” Roman asked.

“Someone jammed the automatic switch,” Elias replied. “I can override it, but it will take five minutes.”

“Do it now,” Roman commanded.

Elias nodded, but his eyes lingered on my phone screen for a fraction of a second too long.

I saw the tight pull of his jaw in the flashlight beam.

“Elias,” I called out before he could turn.

He stopped, his silhouette freezing against the dark hallway.

“Who told them she was there?” I asked.

The young guard did not answer immediately.

The wind rattled the heavy glass windows of the study, a storm brewing outside over Lake Michigan.

“I don’t know, Mrs. Blackwell,” Elias said, his voice dropping.

He turned and disappeared down the corridor, his footsteps fading quickly.

“He’s lying,” I said to Roman.

“I know,” Roman replied. “But right now, we need the power.”

I looked down at the dark laptop screen on the desk.

The memory of the numbers was still fresh in my mind, burned into my thoughts like ink on paper.